We’ve made it to the end of Amos! (We start 2 Timothy next week.) And as promised, it ends on a note of hope. But not before a bit more judgement… Amos 9:1-4 I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said: “Strike the tops of the pillars so that the thresholds shake. Bring them… Continue reading Amos 9

We’ve almost finished our tour through Amos. Which probably hasn’t been the most uplifting experience, talking about the repeated failure of God’s people, and coming judgement. And there’s more of that today. But we’ll finish on some more hopeful stuff tomorrow. Promise. At the start of chapter 8, God continues in the children’s talk format with which… Continue reading Amos 8

We continue in Amos chapter 7 where, just for a change of pace, Amos talks about judgement… Amos 7:1-4 ​ This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. When they had stripped the… Continue reading Amos 7

(Continuing in our series in the OT book of Amos.) Yesterday, we looked at the charges against Israel: injustice and exploitation superficial worship that doesn’t involve a change in behaviour worshipping the gods and idols of the world Today, the focus is on the judgement and call to repentance.

This week we’re continuing our series in the Old Testament book of Amos. So far, we’ve seen a complacent Israel (the northern kingdom) confronted by a prophet from Judah (the southern kingdom) telling them that God’s not happy with them. In fact, he’s warned them time and time again, through prophets, through drought, through military… Continue reading Amos 5 and 6 – Part One

After reading the last couple of chapters of Amos, maybe you’re thinking that God’s being a little harsh? One warning, followed by total destruction. But that’s not the full picture. In chapter 4, Amos goes on to hint at some of the reasons Israel was being judged (there’s much more detail from chapter 5 onwards,… Continue reading Amos 4

If at some point in your life you’re going to be naming your children, here’s a tip from me: choose a different dominant vowel sound for each of them. ‘Cause when you’re yelling from the other end of the house, that vowel is pretty much all they hear. Unfortunately, my sister (Cassy) and I (Tim) could… Continue reading Amos 3

So far in the book of Amos, we’ve seen this prophet from the south (Judah) start out by proclaiming – in the north – that God lives in and speaks from the southern capital of Jerusalem. And what’s more, he implies that when God speaks, it enacts judgement against the northern kingdom (Israel) for her idolatry. Tactful… Continue reading Amos 2

Yesterday, we began our series in Amos, looking at how this shepherd from the southern kingdom of Judah turned up in the (rival) northern kingdom of Israel, with a tactful message that went something like: “God speaks from my homeland, which is where he lives, not in any of the rival shrines you lot have built. And… Continue reading Amos 1

A new series today, in the book of Amos. Amos 1:1 The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. Amos was a shepherd from Tekoa, in the southern… Continue reading Introducing Amos